Worth The Pain
by ClaireShepardHKKY
Summary: Yusuke hasn't seen Hiei in two years. Until one day he shows up on his doorstep bloody and unimpressed. The fire demon is caught up in a world of trouble, accused of treason and the king of Makai after his head. He turns to Yusuke, the only person he knows without a doubt that he can trust. Now, it's up to Yusuke to crack the fire demon's icy exterior and learn the truth. YYHBB'17.


**Worth the Pain**

Yusuke hasn't seen Hiei in nearly two years.

Two years. Nothing. Not a word of contact.

And now here he was, sitting on Yusuke's stoop, blood pouring out of a wound in his stomach. The fire demon's face was unimpressed, if a little pained. And most definitely pissed.

Yusuke waits to ask what the hell he's doing at his house of all places and just ushers him inside.

It's the first time Hiei has ever even lain eyes on his home.

Yusuke thinks his lack of visits is his disappointment in Yusuke deciding to settle down in human world.

He helps settle the demon in a kitchen chair, much to the shorter man's chagrin, and then he wanders off to find a first aid kit. He's sure Keiko left one behind...

He finds it beneath the bathroom sink and returns to his kitchen. Here, he discovers Hiei trailing blood across the linoleum as he fingers pictures hung by magnets on his fridge. The fire demon picks up one of all of them at the beach, inspects it, sets it down on the counter instead of hanging it back up.

"Come on," Yusuke says, "lets clean that wound."

Hiei strips off his cloak and then the shirt underneath. The injury isn't as severe as the amount of blood would suggest and he does most of the work himself, only requiring Yusuke to help him wrap bandages around his torso. He doesn't speak, as stoic as always.

As he works Yusuke wonders why Hiei came to him instead of Kurama. He voices this a moment later, as he tapes off the end of the bandages so they'll stay put.

"The fox was busy," is his reply.

Ah. Yusuke was just second choice then.

"Should I call Yukina?" Yusuke asks, pointing at the phone hanging on his kitchen wall.

Hiei shakes his head, growling out a no. Then asks, in a voice that both surprises and worries Yusuke, "Can I sleep here for awhile?"

Yusuke takes a long look at the other man, scrutinizing him to the point that it makes Hiei squirm. Something is wrong with this picture. It makes Yusuke's stomach twist in some unpleasant way.

He chooses not to voice his concern. "Stay as long as you like. You're always welcome here."

Hiei nods once and then pushes away from the table, making his way towards the stairs. Yusuke doesn't know how Hiei knows where he's going and after a half an hour of trying to ignore the fact he was upstairs in one of the bedrooms, Yusuke wanders up himself.

Just to check, he thinks. Make sure Hiei hasn't died in his sleep.

He finds him curled up on his side in Yusuke's bed, laying across the covers, his boots haphazardly thrown on the floor.

The ex-spirit detective cocks his head and frowns.

Well, this was a strange turn of events.

**. . .**

The next morning Hiei is gone.

So is the picture of them at the beach.

But his cloak remains. The shirt gone, the boots and sword gone, the picture gone, but not the cloak.

Weird.

Yusuke leaves his house as he always does. A spring in his step and whistle on his lips as he walks down the sidewalk, intent on getting his ramen cart ready for the afternoon lunch rush.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he pulls it out, flips it open without so much as looking at the caller's name. "Yo," he greets, "Urameshi here."

"Yusuke, it's Kurama. Do you have some time to meet up this morning?"

His friend's tone is borderline frantic, though he tries his best to keep a coolness to his voice in order to hide it.

Yusuke looks towards the sun. Thinks about his shop. Decides to say screw it and replies, "Yeah. Meet me at the coffee shop?"

Whatever Kurama needed to speak to him about probably wasn't good. A cup of joe always went nicely with a shitty conversation.

"Of course. See you soon." The fox hangs up and Yusuke changes course, walking in the opposite direction.

He reaches the cafe a minute or two before Kurama does and they walk in together-Yusuke in his plain jeans and green jacket and Kurama in as impeccable an outfit as ever. Tan slacks, white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a set of light pink suspenders. Yusuke rolls his eyes at the sight, trying not to laugh at his friend's odd fashion choices.

They order drinks and choose a table that is moderately private.

"No work today, Foxboy?"

"In light of recent events I thought it best I took a personal day."

Yusuke sips his coffee and then swears when it burns his tongue. "Recent events?" He asks, waving a hand around his burning mouth to cool it.

"Kuwabara has not told you?"

Yusuke raises an eyebrow. "I haven't talked to him in a few days. Figured he would be busy with work."

Kurama looks at his wristwatch and then pulls his cellphone out of his pocket. He hits a speed dial button and waits.

A minute later the booming voice of Kazuma Kuwabara blares through the tiny speaker. "Kurama, I'm kind of busy, can I call you back?"

"I'm sorry to bother you at work, but this is rather urgent."

"Is Urameshi there?"

"Yeah I'm here, you big lummox!" Yusuke yells, attracting the attention of the other customers. He just tosses them a rude gesture and ignores the stares.

"I thought we agreed that you were going to explain the situation? You've made this much harder on me," Kurama sighs into the phone, somehow conveying disappointment in that sound alone.

"Shit," Yusuke hears Kuwabara swear. "Alright. I'll come up with an excuse so I can leave. Where are you guys?"

Kurama tells him their location and after a hurried goodbye, snaps his phone shut and slips it back into his pocket.

His face is somber and this makes Yusuke sit straighter in his seat, serious now. "What the hell's goin' on Kurama?"

He pulls no punches. He doesn't beat around the bush. Yusuke likes that about Kurama. "Hiei is being tried for treason. And the outcome is not...good."

Yusuke knew 'good' was an understatement.

"Treason? What the fuck for?! He piss off Mukuro one too many times?"

"Mukuro is not the one who brought charges against him. The king has and he means to follow through. If Hiei is found guilty they will put him to death."

"The king...?" What the hell did Hiei do? Normally king Manzo is a fair ruler, upholding the kings' laws that came before him. "It's true then...? Whatever he did?"

Kurama sighs. "Let's just wait for Kuwabara to get here. It will be easier to explain it in its entirety only once."

Yusuke doesn't like this answer. He leans back in his seat with a sour look on his face, holding his drink but not taking a single sip.

The two of them lapse into an awkward silence. Yusuke pushes back on his chair until its standing on two legs. He balances there for a second, before slamming the seat back down. "Just fucking tell me Kurama!"

Kurama's gaze flicks around the shop and he casts Yusuke a reprimanding look. "Keep your voice down, please!"

Yusuke scoffs, "You think I care about these shmucks? You can't just drop a bomb on me and expect me to sit here without knowing what's going on!"

Luckily for Kurama, the bell above the shop's door clangs, and in walks Kuwabara. He's winded and breathing heavy, having run the entire way there.

He flops into a seat, all long limbs, and catches his breath.

"Took you long enough," Yusuke gripes and Kuwabara gives him the finger.

Kurama gets up to buy Kuwabara a drink, to stall, Yusuke thinks. So when he returns Yusuke doesn't give him a chance to put it off any longer.

"Both you assholes tell me what's going on. Now."

Kuwabara and Kurama cast each other a look that grates on Yusuke's nerves. But with a sigh it's Kurama that chooses to speak first, "Hiei came to me last night wounded and—though he would never admit this—afraid. But he realized after a few minutes into his visit that I already had an idea of what was going on. Yomi and I have kept in contact, as you know, and I received a message earlier that morning."

"So he ran," Yusuke says.

"To me, believe it or not," says Kuwabara. "I think he was hoping Yukina was with me, but she was out with Shizuru shopping for supplies for the temple."

"How did he end up at my place then?"

"He came to you?" asks Kurama.

"Yeah, he spent the night after I helped fix him up. I knew he was acting weird but didn't know why."

"You haven't received a missive from Tourin?"

Yusuke shakes his head, frowning in contemplation. Should he have received something?

"Why didn't he stay with you Kuwabara?" Yusuke asks, tossing aside the other line of thought for now.

"Kurama called me. He thought the same thing I did, that he was looking for Yukina. But Hiei ran away as soon as he realized who was on the other line."

"I believe he's under the impression we plan on turning him in."

"Fuck that," Yusuke growls. "Hiei's family. We don't rat out family. How come I'm only hearing about this now?"

Kurama shoots Kuwabara a terse look and the taller man just scratches the back of his head, sheepish. "That's my bad. I was supposed to call you and got caught up in something."

"What the hell could be more important than this, you dumbass?"

"It's just...personal stuff."

"Gimme a break. What, you on your period or somethin'?"

"No!"

Yusuke snorts and takes a sip of his drink. He turns his nose up at it when he realizes it's gone cold. Cold like the chill that goes down his spine. Something isn't adding up here.

"I suppose this brings us to the part of the story I only just discovered this morning," says Kurama. His eyes are like chips of ice, giving away nothing. As cold as the deepest pits of a forest. "Hiei has been accused of murdering the King's betrothed."

Kuwabara spits his drink across the table and Yusuke is left gaping. But it soon turns into a disbelieving laugh.

"Why would Hiei do something like that? It doesn't make any sense."

"I have speculated that myself. I thought perhaps Mukuro ordered him to, or his hand was forced in some manner. But according to Yomi, the king believes it was an unprovoked attack, one made out of simple malice."

Kuwabara shakes his head, anger contorting his face. "They have to be lying. Does Hiei even know this woman?"

Kurama clears his throat. "It wasn't a woman. Hiei has more honor than that."

"So maybe this guy challenged Hiei to a fight and the idiot lost. Sounds like the king is butt hurt to me," says Yusuke. He bites back the literally he was sorely tempted to add.

"There are too many unknown factors. I have not been able to locate Hiei to ask him. There is much he keeps to himself."

"He came to us for help, Kurama. He won't ask for it, but why else would he show up?" Yusuke stands from the table, palms flat on its surface. "I'm gonna find him. Get to the bottom of this."

"I don't think he wants to be found, Urameshi. I mean, he ran off, he thinks we're out to get him just like everyone else."

"There will be demons hunting for him, anyone loyal to the king is likely to be after him."

"Yeah, well I ain't loyal to no stupid fucking King with his head stuck up his ass. And Hiei should damn well know that."

Yusuke marches out of the cafe, ignoring the looks both Kurama and Kuwabara shoot him before he can escape their gaze. He wasn't sure what either of them thought. Whether they believed Hiei did it or not.

Yusuke doesn't care one way or the other. He would protect his friends with his life. He wouldn't let Hiei go down for this, even if the man had no other reason for killing the king's lover than the fact that he'd wanted to.

Yusuke returns home first, thinking he would change his clothes to something more suited for hunting down a lost comrade, but finds a surprise instead.

Hiei is sitting at his kitchen table. His arms are folded beneath his head and he is asleep, soft breaths making loose pieces of hair fly around his face. The jagan is open and staring at him, but Yusuke just stands in front of the fire demon with his hands on his hips.

I know you know I'm here, he thinks.

Yusuke crouches, brushes his fingers through Hiei's fringe. The demon jerks violently, disappearing from the chair and reappearing across the room with sword drawn.

His stance does not relax even when he realizes it's Yusuke.

"Woah, man, it's just me. No need to freak out."

Hiei says nothing at first. His eyes pass over Yusuke several times before he says, "You know."

Yusuke chooses not to pretend that he doesn't know what he's talking about. "Yeah. Yeah I know. And I wanna help."

Hiei scoffs but sheathes his blade. "There is no helping me now. I will have no choice but to run until eventually I am caught and killed."

"So you did it then? You killed the king's boyfriend?"

Hiei's lip curls at the use of the word 'boyfriend' but he nods, once, simple but undeniable proof.

"Why?" Yusuke asks, almost desperate.

Hiei shrugs and looks away, out the single window above Yusuke's kitchen sink.

Angry now, Yusuke stalks over to him and grabs him but the scruff of his shirt, almost lifting the man off the floor—only the tips of his boots still touch. Hiei continues to avert his gaze and it takes more willpower than Yusuke is willing to admit not to hit him.

Something is wrong. Horribly wrong. Because while Hiei's behavior is not unusual, there is a deadness to his eyes, a broken look that wasn't there the last time Yusuke had seen him.

He knows Hiei won't talk. That he doesn't want to. So he drops him. The fire demon lands on the flats his feet and shoves his hands into his pant's pockets. He snubs Yusuke.

Yusuke sighs and then turns to his fridge. "You hungry?" he asks.

He receives no answer, but makes enough food for two anyway.

He sets the extra plate in the spot across from him at the table and then digs into his own. He doesn't make a show of it when Hiei eventually sits and begins to eat. The fire demon keeps his eyes locked firmly on his food, so Yusuke eats in silence, trying to avoid studying him too hard. Wouldn't do to scare him off.

When the plates are empty Yusuke collects and washes them, leaving them to air dry in the dish rack.

He turns from his work to find Hiei staring out the window again. His gaze still harbors that same dead look and it sends an unpleasant shiver down Yusuke's spine.

Later that night, after Hiei has curled up in Yusuke's bed again with no prompting on his part, Yusuke erects a barrier around his house.

It'll be a cold day in hell when he lets one of his closest friends get killed. No matter the reason behind it.

He considers calling Kurama and Kuwabara, but thinks better of it after a time. He's standing in his bedroom doorway, staring at the man curled around his sword in a bed that looks both too big and too small for him.

And the only thought that solidifies in Yusuke's mind is: _I fucking dare anyone to try and hurt him. I'll kill them all._

**. . .**

The next morning Yusuke cooks breakfast. Hiei doesn't run off. He wakes earlier than Yusuke and Yusuke finds him sitting in the same spot as the night before.

At first they eat in an awkward silence. Until Hiei asks a question that nearly makes Yusuke choke on his eggs. "Where is your woman?"

Hiei making small talk is new, but the question itself is far more loaded than the fire demon realizes.

"Keiko moved to America last year," is all Yusuke is willing to say on the matter.

The ache of her leaving is still there. It flares again at the reminder, searing a part of him he's valiantly tried to bury these past months.

"Did she finally realize it was a pointless endeavor trying to tame you?"

"What?" Yusuke asks, taken aback. "No...she, uh...she got a job out there. Couldn't pass it up. I could have gone with her...but my life is here."

Yusuke shrugs, as if it doesn't matter. That it was no big deal.

But it hurts. It still hurts.

It will always hurt.

He can no longer look at Hiei whose eyes are attempting to drag the truth out of him, so his gaze skips to the floor, counting the blemishes in the linoleum.

"You bought a house," says Hiei, not quite a question.

Yusuke nods, his eyes moving on to count the knots in his wooden cabinets. "I invited you to my house warming party but you didn't show," he says.

"Hn," Hiei grunts, dodging any kind of substantial reply.

But Yusuke was aware of how much Hiei hated those sorts of things. So it hadn't surprised him when he never showed. He just never expected the little bastard would disappear off the face of the planet for two years. And then to show back up like this...

He certainly knew how to make an entrance.

A knock at his front door makes him roll his eyes and Hiei stiffen. "It's just Kuwabara," he points out, but Hiei does not relax, if anything he gets stiffer.

"Ookay then," Yusuke says before going to answer the door.

He wonders if Hiei is aware of the wards Yusuke placed around his house last night or not. Nothing he didn't want coming through could make it to his front door.

Yusuke wrenches the door open, keeping it close to his body to block Kuwabara's view of the inside. "Whatta ya want?" he asks.

Kuwabara raises an eyebrow, obviously noticing Yusuke's odd behavior, but he chooses to ignore it for now. "Have you heard from Hiei yet?"

"Nope." He doesn't know why he's lying. He knows he can trust both Kurama and Kuwabara. But he also knew that Hiei was far less likely to talk with an audience.

"Damn," curses Kuwabara. "I'm worried about the runt." And then hurriedly adds, "But don't tell him I said that!"

Yusuke barks out a laugh. "That's the first thing I'll tell him."

Kuwabara whines for a bit about how embarrassing that would be, then switches to threats when Yusuke is less than sympathetic, before he settles and asks, "How come you got a barrier up all of a sudden?"

Yusuke hopes Kuwabara's honest nature will help him when he lies, but Kuwabara is also not as stupid as he acts. Not by a long shot.

And Yusuke is a terrible liar.

"I just figured it was safer, ya know. Plenty of assholes out to get me these days too."

But Kuwabara's eyes narrow and before Yusuke can so much as shout a warning, he shoves by and into the house. Yusuke tackles him to the floor and they wrestle until they're both out of breath and pulling each other's hair out by the roots.

Kuwabara uses his height to his advantage and flips Yusuke onto his back. This is when a booted foot comes flying out of nowhere to kick him in the ribs. Non too gently might he add.

Kuwabara goes rolling to the floor, clutching his chest and swearing. "What the hell-" he looks up, ready to hurl insults at his attacker, but at the sight of Hiei standing over Yusuke like a protective statue, he flounders. "Hiei...?!"

Hiei sneers at him and says, "Your presence is not needed here."

Kuwabara goes from surprised to outraged in the blink of an eye. "Is that how you talk to the people who are worried about you?!"

Yusuke's face screws up, biting back laughter. Guess Kuwabara's threats were a waste of breath.

Yusuke offers the taller man a hand up and he takes it, still glaring indignantly at Hiei. Yusuke ushers him out of his entry way and into the living room.

"Listen, Kuwabara, I've got this covered."

"Why didn't you call us?"

Yusuke casts a furtive glance towards the short hall that leads back to his front door and whispers, "He's here for a reason. Let me get it out of him—_my way._"

"So you're gonna beat him up?"

"If it comes to that, yeah. He's done it for me in the past."

Kuwabara sighs, obviously not liking this turn of events. "I'm telling Kurama."

"Fine. Just get the hell outta here and let me deal with short, dark, and scary."

"But—"

"Don't make me throw you out."

Kuwabara looks like he wants to stomp his foot and throw a tantrum like some petulant child, but he relents. "Keep us in the loop Urameshi, or I swear to god..."

"Yeah, yeah. Buzz off now, will ya."

He shows Kuwabara to the door. Hiei is no longer in the hall, but he can feel his energy upstairs, so it doesn't worry him. When he's sure Kuwabara is well on his way back wherever he came from, he climbs the steps.

Hiei is sitting on the edge of Yusuke's bed. He's sharpening his sword, the sound the whet stone makes as it passes against the sharp edge of the blade is hypnotic, lulling. Yusuke finds himself drifting closer, leaving the safety of the doorway.

For some reason he feels as if he is trespassing, even though it's his own room.

"Kuwabara's gone."

"Hn," Hiei grunts in reply.

Yusuke takes it upon himself to sink onto the bed beside Hiei. The other man stiffens, the whet stone slipping off the blade and the metal met with flesh instead. Blood slides down the smooth surface of the sword.

"Shit!" Hiei tosses aside the blade and it clatters to the floor, his blood splattering across the wood.

Yusuke doesn't think when he reaches out and grabs Hiei's wounded hand. The fire demon sucks in a sharp breath and for half a second Yusuke thinks he will snatch it back. But he doesn't and now Yusuke is clutching his hand and Hiei's blood is filling his palm and it's slick as it streams down his wrist and drips to the sheets below.

He thinks that he should get some bandages. That the wound is pretty deep. But suddenly Hiei's dark baritone fills his senses and the words that come tumbling out are far more painful than any wound that could be inflicted upon him.

"I had a reason for killing the king's lover," he begins. "He committed a crime far too atrocious to just disregard. I had to kill him. I had no choice."

"What did he do, Hiei?" Because Yusuke has a sinking feeling in his gut and he squeezes Hiei's hand just a little tighter, as if afraid he will run away.

Not many things in life can create such a haunting look in a warrior's eyes.

The deep red of Hiei's gaze pierces Yusuke in a way it never has before. His eyes are glassy, hollow. Lacking the fire they once held so proudly. And it is with a horrible dawning clarity that Yusuke begins to piece things together himself.

"You knew this person," it's not quite a question but Yusuke still seeks an answer.

Hiei turns away, casting his gaze to the floor. Easier that way. "Yes. I knew him. For a time he worked under Mukuro."

And like a floodgate being released, Hiei begins to speak, his voice monotonous and cold, but the words did not lack any underlying anguish. "Mukuro was called to council with the king. Something to do with her territories. It was then I met Hayato again. He was tossed from Mukuro's service some years ago. For reasons she never disclosed to me. It seems he found his way into the king's bed during his time away."

Here he pauses. Hiei's hand is still clutched in Yusuke's. Hiei flexes his fingers, the blood flowing a little stronger with the movement. He flips his hand over, so his palm connects with Yusuke's, and smears his blood down Yusuke's arm with single minded intensity. The action is deliberate and strange, but Hiei's blood is warm and familiar.

"What happened after you met Hayato again?" Yusuke prompts, careful to keep his voice hushed, barely above a whisper.

Hiei grips Yusuke's wrist and wrenches him forward until there isn't much space between them. Yusuke can feel his breath ghost across his face and he can't help when his eyes flick down to Hiei's lips.

"He raped me, detective. But you surmised as much already, did you not?"

Yes. Yusuke has. But what he doesn't understand is _how_.

"Did..." Yusuke swallows. This proximity is a little unnerving. "Did you trust him? I just...I just can't see someone like you..."

"You can say it fool. Raped. Violated. Ruined. There are many words for it, but they all mean the same," he says. "And to answer your question, no, I did not trust him. But I did not expect him to drug me either. My mistake. My failure."

"Fuck, Hiei..." Yusuke breathes and he is suddenly so angry. The rage so deep and strong he wishes Hiei hadn't killed the guy just so Yusuke could have a piece of him. He would rip the guy to shreds. Destroy even the pieces that remained.

How dare this prick make Hiei feel as if he were _ruined._

Hiei lets Yusuke go. The younger man backs off, giving the fire demon some space. He does not tell him he's sorry for what happened. Hiei would not want the sympathy. Or the pity.

"I dealt with it," Hiei says. "There is no need for your anger."

"It doesn't change what he did!" Yusuke growls. Pissed off isn't a strong enough phrase for what he's feeling.

"I'm not some maiden who's virginity was stolen," Hiei snaps.

"That isn't the fucking point and you know it!" Because something is broken in Hiei. Something has been ruined inside a man once so strong. And to Yusuke that was unacceptable. Wasn't even possible.

Unimaginable.

But before Yusuke can voice his outrage further he finds himself pinned to his bed, a bloody hand dragging through his hair and heated lips against his own and he doesn't know how to react. So he lays there stunned and lets Hiei kiss him, his eyes wide but unseeing.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck! Runs across his brain on repeat until Hiei sits back up, straddling his waist, and looks down at Yusuke with hooded eyes.

But all Yusuke notices is that those eyes are not so lifeless anymore. Not quite as dead.

Hiei's hand fists in his hair, the grip tight but not painful. He cocks his head and licks his lips. "Good," he murmurs.

Yusuke doesn't know what he means but when his friend leans in for a second kiss Yusuke pulls up his hands and holds him back. "Woah! Listen, I like you an awful lot man, but I'm not so sure it's that kind of like, if you catch my drift."

Yusuke would almost say Hiei's face falls at his words but the change is so subtle he can't be sure.

"I need to scour the feeling of him off my skin, detective," Hiei says, voice quiet and controlled. So controlled in fact that Yusuke knew without a shadow of a doubt it was fake. "Help me?" Hiei asks.

Yusuke's mouth goes dry.

There's no denying what he wants and Yusuke only has scant moments to consider it.

The idea is not unpleasant. Just different.

And he can't deny that the ache Keiko left doesn't need some filling of its own. Some scouring, as Hiei put it.

If his heart was still working it would be beating out of his chest.

"Okay," he says in a rush, "alright. If that's what you want. If you-if it's okay. If it won't make things worse."

Hiei doesn't reply with words. He only pushes his hands up Yusuke's shirt, palms sliding across the plains of his chest, leaving more blood trails. Yusuke leans up off the bed so Hiei can tug the shirt over his head and throw it to the floor.

Yusuke doesn't think, doesn't contemplate how stupid this could possibly be. Hiei is his friend. Yusuke loves his friends. He would do anything for them.

What was something like this, really? In the grand scheme of things.

So he arches into Hiei's touch, kisses him again and again and again until they're both breathless and wanting.

It feels good, he thinks, wholly different than being with Keiko but a good kind of different. And it isn't because Hiei is a man. Though he would be lying if he said it didn't factor in at all.

Things grew more urgent after awhile. They both lost themselves to sensation and heated, aching touch. Rough hands and bruising grips.

Words fail them. Left with only breathy sighs and moans that make Yusuke believe he will never regret this moment. That the choice was not one made out of ignorance or stupidity for once in his damn life.

Afterwards, the two of them tangle together, sweat soaked limbs wrap around each other in ways that are almost uncomfortable. But Yusuke refuses to move. And Hiei is content where he is—sprawled on top of Yusuke's chest, a little too warm for comfort.

Exhausted but sated red eyes stare up at Yusuke from where Hiei lays.

It is with more satisfaction than Yusuke should rightly have that he realizes those eyes are not so hollow anymore. 

**. . .**

Yusuke wakes slow the following morning.

Slow, not because of lack of sleep, but because he knows what he will find when he opens his eyes.

Hiei is gone. There is no warm body beside him. The bed is cold and no indication is left behind that the fire demon left just a short time ago. Which meant he disappeared hours ago, in the dead of night.

Too much of a head start.

Yusuke rises. Pulls on a clean pair of boxers.

And he tries not to think about it.

Hiei is not in his kitchen, in fact, he's not in the house at all. Everything is gone. Not a single item left behind, including the cloak.

Including the picture.

Yusuke does not eat that morning.

He does return to the ramen shop, however, and he opens for the day. Keeps himself busy. Kuwabara calls him three times. Kurama twice. He ignores them.

He serves his customers, cooks mindlessly. He pays no attention to the odd stares he's given. He realizes what the looks are for much later, when Kuwabara and Kurama get fed up and find him at his shop.

He's near closing but serves them their usuals anyway.

"Urameshi, why the hell is there blood all over you?"

Yusuke remembers that he never showered. That Hiei's blood is still streaked through his hair and smeared down his face and arm, his chest too if he were to look. It's dried and flaking now, patchy and the color of rust.

He's amazed his customers didn't run for the hills.

"Did you and Hiei fight?" asks Kurama, concerned.

Yusuke shakes his head and doesn't elaborate further.

They pester him with questions that make him grit his teeth, but Hiei's story was told in confidence. They were not his words to repeat. He tells them as much after awhile, the words biting and harsh.

They shut up after that. 

**. . .**

Two days later Yusuke receives a letter from Hokushin.

Hiei's trial is slated to occur in two weeks time. A trial, that for all intents and purposes, is just for show. Hiei will be put to death for a crime he had every right to commit.

Yusuke shreds the letter. 

**. . .**

"Uremeshi, this is fucking crazy," whispers Kuwabara, urgency in his voice and the quick steps he takes to keep in tandem with Yusuke.

Yusuke is angry. There is no denying that.

But what he is about to do is, in fact, insane. Not that he gives a shit.

Kurama walks on his other side, his words of reason long having fell silent. He was just as furious. His eyes shone gold in the midday light that cast the Makai in an ever ruddy hue.

Behind him is Hokushin, who asks over and over with insistence that Yusuke rethinks his plan.

Yusuke doesn't.

Because Hiei is his friend. And Yusuke would do anything for him.

The trial is being held in the capital of Alaric, as requested by Mukuro, who thought having it on Hiei's home field might give him some advantage. It won't, Yusuke knows, because he has already tried to reason with the king. Twice.

So when reason doesn't work, Yusuke turns to his old hat—violence. 

Even at twenty-eight years old, Yusuke still gets that same thrill as when he was a teen, the thrill of a good fight.

The markings of the Mazoku appear on his skin and do not fade. His eyes bleed to a rusty shade of red. Fangs lengthen behind his lips.

King Manzo was about to regret pissing him off.

Yusuke barges through the crowd gathered around the podium the trial is being held from. A public trial, where other demons jeer and catcall and yell out unforgivable things. So unforgivable that both Yusuke and Kuwabara knock a few of their lights out.

They cause a scene. Which is exactly what Yusuke is hoping for.

"Out of the way fuckers," he shoves through the last throng of people, until he is able to stand before that raised platform where the king, Mukuro, the man acting as judge and executioner, and—last but certainly not least—Hiei, are standing.

Hokushin keeps the crowd at bay, Kuwabara and Kurama assisting, so Yusuke can handle the rest. No way in hell was this about to go down. Even if it meant killing the current king.

Hiei is in shackles, chained to the wooden platform, wards wrapped around every single link. Yusuke knows it will take more than that to deter him, that Hiei could break out if he wants to. Just like he also knows the fire demon came here of his own volition.

Hiei won't look at him and Mukuro is livid, but at him or the situation, Yusuke isn't sure.

King Manzo is definitely angry with him, however. "What is the meaning of this?" he demands, as if he doesn't already know.

Yusuke just gives him the finger and jumps up onto the podium. He heads straight for Hiei and when the idiot acting as judge gets in his way it only takes a single look to get him to back off—quickly.

But the king is not as smart.

"Back away from the prisoner, son of Raizen."

Yusuke decks him. Manzo doesn't see it coming and goes flying off the backside of the platform. The executioner takes action then, his fear abating enough that he launches himself at Yusuke. Yusuke pulls up his arm, a spirit gun blast already charged on his finger, and the man's face turns white as ash.

During this time Manzo manages to climb back onto the platform. Before he can spew so much as an insult, Yusuke plants his feet beside Hiei and yells, "I have come to challenge the king for the life of my mate!"

He sees Hiei's eyes go impossibly wide and almost grins at the loud, shuttering gasp he releases, but doesn't. He has to be serious now, more serious than he's ever been. Demon world politics were tricky things and, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't just kill the king—not without issuing a proper challenge.

"Your mate?" Manzo snarls. "This bastard boy killed my betrothed and you dare come interrupt his trial! The insolence you have displayed is dishonorable, you miserable half-breed!"

It is Mukuro who snarls next, bitter rage coating her words, "It is you who has chosen to be dishonorable, Manzo. I told you the circumstances behind Hayato's murder and you refuted every accusation!"

"My mate would never stoop so low as to pursue a creature such as this," he waves a dismissive hand towards Hiei, lips curling into a sneer.

"You prick," Yusuke says beneath his breath, anger simmering tenfold.

"That is not the matter at hand anymore, is it?" says Mukuro. "Do you accept the Lord of Tourin's challenge or not?"

The king could not outright refuse, especially considering something of this caliber. A challenge for a mate's life was not something to disregard or cast aside, it was serious business to demons. The possessiveness was something Yusuke was used to feeling and it burned through him as he resisted every urge to snap Hiei's chains and leave with him.

Manzo stops to consider, casting a critical gaze over the two of them, one that leaves Yusuke's skin crawling.

"They bare no markings," he says finally, a cold sneer in place. "Without definitive proof that they have mated there is no need for me to accept a challenge from someone so far beneath me."

"Oh, is that all you need?" Yusuke says with a wicked grin.

He marches over to Hiei, and while his back is turned, gives the fire demon a reassuring smile the other man doesn't return. Yusuke is sure that Hiei will hate him for this, possibly even kill if given the chance. But it is the only way.

He turns to grin at the king one last time, before gripping Hiei's hair and tugging. His neck exposed, he goes in for the kill, sinking his fangs into the side of the fire demon's neck.

It is with much surprise—and even more pleasure—when he hears Hiei _moan. _Sure, it comes out strangled and its owner does everything to hold it back, but as Yusuke bites until he tastes blood, Hiei only gets louder. Some of it comes out as panting, broken growls of protest. But Yusuke feels a brush against his mind, feels what Hiei feels, and his protesting falls flat.

Yusuke hears a distinct, "Cripes, Urameshi!" screeched from the crowd and it makes him want to laugh, however, he's too caught up in Hiei and the sensation of his blood pooling in his mouth. The feeling of the fire demon's skin against his palms. The way Hiei's hands wrap around his upper arms, nails digging into his flesh.

He swallows and the blood _burns_—like expensive alcohol—on its way down. He wishes for nothing more than to drag Hiei off somewhere far more private then.

He backs up, making sure to make a show of it when he pulls away from Hiei's neck. He watches a trail of blood dribble down the other man's tanned skin. It takes a lot of willpower to stop Yusuke from licking it off.

Hiei raises a single eyebrow and sighs, exasperated. "You couldn't just let me die, could you?"

Yusuke winks at him and turns back to the king. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, not even caring when he smears blood across his cheek. "Will you accept my challenge now, you old bastard?"

Manzo glares, pure fury in his eyes, but nods once. "Your loyalty is better suited someplace else," he says, "but there is no denying that you are serious."

Yusuke cracks his knuckles and grins, flashing his fangs. This should be fun.

Manzo won the last tournament on pure luck. Yusuke and Hiei lost in earlier rounds, only because they both fought strong opponents through every round before hand. If they had both won, they would have fought each other in the finals, so Yusuke was almost thankful for the turn of events that lead Manzo to win.

Until now.

However, the bastard was about to get his ass kicked. And Yusuke would take great pleasure in doing it.

Of course, Manzo wasn't weak, not by any means. Even if he escaped fighting either Hiei or Yusuke during the last tournament, he'd still beaten Yomi in the finals. And Yusuke still wasn't quite on par with the goat demon's strength, even ten years later.

He jumps into the battle confident enough anyway, allowing Manzo to pick the best area for the fight, which he learns wasn't the brightest idea.

Manzo uses the terrain to his advantage, his youki being elemental based, and causes a rock slide to nearly crush Yusuke. Earth powers didn't do much to stop his spirit gun, however, and Manzo's poor attempts at blocking it with stone only make Yusuke feel like he's playing a game—one of those space shooters to be exact, where you can blast asteroids with a rocket ship.

The fight goes on for a long time, reminiscent of his battle with Yomi in the very first demon unification tournament.

But Yusuke has boundless energy, and while Manzo grows tired, Yusuke just dips into his more demonic traits. He corners the king eventually, growing tired of playing around. From there it is an all out brawl, as if they have forgotten their powers entirely.

They do not stop until both are so battered, bloody, and bruised their faces are hard to recognize. It boils down to willpower—who can stay standing the longest? Who wants it more? Whose anger is the most righteous?

Even when Yusuke is on his last legs, his energy waning, he pushes past the pain. Because Hiei is his friend.

And Yusuke would do anything for his friends.

It is with this thought alone that he rallies and lands one last solid punch to Manzo's jaw. He watches the man spits blood, a red haze flying through the air, several teeth going along for the ride. The king falls to his knees...and then flat on his face.

Yusuke counts to ten...and then twenty in his head...before he deems it safe to collapse as well. He falls to his back, sweat soaked and out of breath and laughing.

He hears both whoops of joy and jeering derision from the gathered crowd. The crowd he forgot about until now. He doesn't care though, because the sound of being called, "An utter imbecile," is like music to his ears.

Hiei, no longer in shackles, stands over him with a smirk on his lips.

"Well, you gonna give your knight in shining armor a kiss?" Yusuke asks.

Hiei bends until he can reach what remains of Yusuke's shirt. He pulls him upwards with a hand fisted in the cotton and says, "You treat me like some damsel in distress again and I'll kill you."

Yusuke grins. "Don't kill anymore dignitary's fuck buddies and I won't have to."

"You're an offensive bastard," Hiei says before dipping to give Yusuke a bruising kiss.

It's hungry and aching and painful—everything a kiss should be after you save someone's life. And he gives as good as he gets, kissing Hiei back with vigor, somehow scrounging up the energy to bury his hands in the mans hair and drag him down to the ground with him.

. . .

Six months later, Yusuke comes home from work one night. He throws off his trainers, hangs up his coat, and finds a late night snack to eat in the kitchen. There is a black cloak draped over one of the chairs. He picks it up and hangs it next to his coat in the hallway.

Yusuke washes the dishes that were hastily tossed into the sink and cleans up the mess left on the stove. He's tired, but chuckles a bit anyway. What would irritate most, only made him smile. It was a good sign to see his house in such a state.

He showers, pulls on a pair of clean boxers, and wraps the towel around his neck.

He trips over a pair of black boots on his way to his bedroom. Yusuke picks these up too and goes back downstairs to put them by the door, where they belong.

With a great sigh he wanders into his bedroom and it is with only a little irritation that he finds Hiei spreadeagled across their bed—asleep, naked, and shameless. A huge difference from months ago, when he slept curled into a ball and fully clothed.

His position leaves scant room for Yusuke, but he shoves his way into bed anyway, nudging the fire demon until he grumbles and then wraps himself around Yusuke instead. He nips at Yusuke's shoulder, leaving a mark and then soothing the pain with a press of his lips. He never opens his eyes.

Yusuke drags a hand through the other man's hair. It was nice to have him here, however short the stay would be this time around. And he plans to savor every moment of it.

He runs his fingers over the light scar on Hiei's neck, a constant reminder of his foolishness, but one he would never regret.

He whispers something in Hiei's ear, in which the fire demon bites him again (a little harder than necessary, might he add), and then murmurs something into his skin. Yusuke likes to believe it's something sweet, but he's sure it's more along the lines of an insult. He smiles all the same.

"Next time I'll let them cut off your damned head."

Hiei chuckles, the sound making Yusuke's toes curl. "No you won't, fool."

Yeah, Yusuke thinks, he won't. Because Yusuke loves his friends.

But perhaps he loves Hiei just a little bit more.

**Fin.**


End file.
